philosophy test essay

Topic: Michangelo’s sculptures could be said to personify ideas found in Philosophy. To what extent do the statues of the captives develop themes of the Renaissance, the artist, as well as reflect upon dualist ideas about the human body?

When looking back into the renaissance era people tend to think of many great works of art. Some look at the Sistine chapel and say that the picture of god giving Adam life is the keystone of the renaissance however there seems to lack a certain philosophy behind the art, as it is a more religious piece. Take the sculptures of the captives intended for the tomb of Julius. These sculptures, even if unfinished, should represent our views on the renaissance. The sculptures show deeper thought into themes of the renaissance, themes on the artist, as well as reflection on dualist thoughts of Plato. Without these sculptures one may not be able to comprehend the amount of thought put into art in the age of the renaissance

            Michangelo is a renaissance man. His works such as David inspire others as they take roman style art and again renew its glory. Renaissance means rebirth and the ideas of Rome and Greece would again triumph religion of the dark ages. The depictions of the captives show that there are people in a struggle. They may be trying to escape themselves, or trying to escape a higher power. Nonetheless the sculptures develop the idea of being trapped and trying to escape, just as the renaissance was about trying to get out of the veil that was the middle ages. In this sense michangelo does use sculpture to portray the ideas of the renaissance.

            Sometimes the artist of a piece of work really can show their personality through their works of art. Jan Van Eyck did this in his painting of Arnolfini and his wife. By displaying himself in the mirror in the center of the painting Van Eyck really brings a sense of self-presence to the painting. He shows that he as an artist wants credit and by being in the center of the painting he really is the focal point in the work of art. Michangelo took a different approach to putting himself into the sculpture of the captives because he may have tried to depict himself trying to escape society and religion around him. Many speculate the Michangelo was homosexual and that the captives are really his way of displaying this. According to the rumor he tries to depict himself as a man being held captive by religious belief around him and that really the captive wants to be free to do what he wants. Strange however not farfetched. Maybe these rumors aren’t true and maybe michangelo was not homosexual. Another interpretation suggests that it shows himself trying to show how he wants his art to be seen. Some of the best pieces of art show the artist in it. Van Eyck’s literally does and Michangelo’s subconsciously does

            Dualist views in the renaissance are depicted in many ways of art and religion. Look at the way that in Raphael’s painting of “the school of Athens” has dualism. It features famous philosophers with heads of others. An interesting prospect however when you connect the head to the philosopher you can see how the person directly relates to the corresponding philosopher. This shows how there can be two parts to a human; inside and one out. Raphael’s representation isn’t the only one we have. The captives actually provide a better example of dualistic views. Michangelo shows how the soul is trying to escape the body. Just how in Plato’s thoughts there is a spirit trapped inside of flesh. Or that the soul is made of three parts. Reason, Spirit, and desire. The body in the sculpture represents the desire and cravings to escape but the mind, which is more powerful, represents the reason keeping the body at bay. Or it could be that the mind is trying to break free from the body. Only one man knows and that man is Michangelo.

The renaissance was the time to live! The age of scholars, art,  and architecture. During this time Michangelo sculpted the captives. These sculptures as they were depicted the dualistic philosophies, the artist, and the overall theme of the renaissance era to a very great extent. Even though these sculptures were intended to be a symbol to remember pope Julius II we really need to look at the captives in a more optimistic light. They are very great pieces of art and without them one may not be able to comprehend the great amount of information brought from the renaissance era.

moral issue

Moral issue

Ryan Hicks

Moral issue: Cheating

When tasked with a worksheet our subject (not to be named) felt that the best way to get through the worksheet would be to do it with a friend. This may be an action that would benefit both the subject and his friend however when caught; the teacher decides to half the mark of said students.  This puts both students in a perdiciment as the subject is left with what would still be considered by many as a high A for a class grade, but his friends grade slipped below to a mid B in the class. There are many ways the student could deal with the reception of such a poor grade. However the way the said student chooses to deal with the situation could impact the final mark of the student.. One looks to philosophy for answers in time of need. The existentialistic way of dealing with the situation would be to accept the low mark as it will not impact my grade that much. The friend however would have his grade lowered but in this philosophical view you have “no morals” and you are supposed to do what is best for yourself. This is one outlet to look at taking however the subjects morals are too strong to accept letting a close friend suffer for his mistake. Utilitarianism means you are to do what is best for the most people for that is in your best interest. The best way to apply this is to ask the teacher to give the subject a zero and give the friend full marks. In this way the teacher gets to exact punishment for what is considered as cheating, the student with the high A gets to lower his grade a miniscule amount and the friend of the student who got a very low mark on the worksheet will get a better mark on the worksheet and as a result won’t pull down his class grade as much. This may not benefit the subject but it does benefit more people in the end which is the concept behind utilitarianism. This is the view that could be taken so that more people benefit from an awkward situation and could help our subject out of his situation

Siddhartha

Siddhartha question

Ryan Hicks

January 2015

Comparative Civilizations 12

Inquiry: Richness

            Richness is defined by Merriam-Webster (An Encyclopedia Britannica company) as “having a lot of money and possessions”. This statement can be true in certain contexts however for some richness comes in many other forms. In philosophy richness is known as knowledge. Can knowledge prove that richness is more than just a material object? Looking at Siddhartha’s journey, richness can be measured in more than just ways of material values.  Looking at Plato’s readings one sees that the true meaning of richness is knowledge. And looking at western society richness is defined just as literally as the dictionary states it. To what extent can the definition of richness be changed based on the stories of Plato and Siddhartha?

            Western society is known as a very materialistic society. Rich is a term to describe the people who have many possessions, mainly physical. One of the most read articles of the year is Forbes magazine’s richest people of the year. The online live page has over forty thousand posts across various social media sites. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people who see the posts. This list published to these people shows the people ranked by descending order of net worth in cash. How is it fair to rank people in order of cash? One answer might potentially be the definition of the word richness. If defined as stated by Merriam-Webster this definition is one that not just promotes a western society view on a topic but also however demotes a more traditional or religious view on the topic. A definition of a word used by two distinct societies but only promotes one is a definition that needs to be changed.

            Plato is a philosopher who is well known for his views on western society. Why is a western society philosopher so focused on knowledge? Plato’s cave is the perfect analogy of richness in western society. While the money and material is what the light projects on the wall the sun or fire that projects the shadows is the truth. These truths lay outside the cave waiting to be found. Sure money and possessions provide richness to those inside the cave but what defines richness outside of it? The definition needs to see change for those who live outside of the cave.

            Siddhartha is a prime example of where the definition of richness needs to be changed. Siddhartha decides to leave his teacher to pursue his own search for knowledge. Along his journey he finds knowledge from Kamala the courtesan he meets in the big city. He falls in love with her and she tells him that he needs to gain money, and nice clothes to love her. In his acquisition of all the money and material objects he gains knowledge, which points him back to his simpler life at the river. Where he helps those who need to cross the river. This knowledge helps him become what could be described as a man at peace with his inner self. How is a man who has money and no happiness richer than that of a man who is happy with no money?

            The dictionary is a place where people look for answers; a place where people gather knowledge. However they can’t gather richness. This is because the book itself says richness is not knowledge but material possessions and money. This may remain true for those trapped in the cave of western society however for those from around the world the definition remains only in their hearts. And thoughts. The definition of richness needs to be greatly changed and altered to a definition that appeases the beliefs of more than just western society. The new definition should show what richness is for all people no matter who they are and what they believe it